Denying the Obvious
by Miss Shannon
Summary: Nicole pays Andy a visit at work. Mayhem ensues. [Spoilers for season 3.]


**Denying the Obvious**

**by Miss Shannon**

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**A/N: **My first day off in what feels like decades and I decided to use the newest spoilers to write a little story. I hope you enjoy and brighten my day with reviews!

**Summary: **Nicole pays Andy a visit at work. Mayhem ensues. [Spoilers for season 3.]

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Andy froze where he stood in front of the Murder Board, lost in the sight of their latest victim's photograph, contemplating just how far one could take cosmetic surgery without looking like something appearing on Star Trek. The pattern of those footsteps sounded oddly familiar. The person they belonged was obviously wearing stiletto heels which ruled out Sykes. What he was hearing weren't Sharon's long, unhurried strides either. There was a nervous energy in that person's walk that he associated with-

"Hey Dad!"

_Nicole_.

Andy finally whirled around and took in the sight of his daughter who stood there, straight blond hair swept over one shoulder, wearing a flowery dress that ended just above her knees. The skirt swirled slightly as she walked, blurring the pattern of small yellow and blue flowers. From the corner of his eye he saw that she had peaked Sanchez's interest as his head shot up, so he turned to give his squad mate a very dark glare. Namely the "This-is-my-married-little-girl-back-off-or-I'll-shoot-you"-glare he had developed recently. The detective got the message and quickly looked elsewhere.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" As always, Andy was happy to see her, but he was also a little anxious for her to show up at his place of work. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes. Everything's fine!" she said into his shoulder as she swept him into one of her firm hugs. "I was just in the vicinity, so I decided to drop in. I hope that's okay?"

What was Andy to say? He was still happily surprised whenever his children decided that they wanted to see him, so he would certainly not send her away. On the other hand, he was quite eager to steer her away from the leering Sanchez and from-

"Sharon! Good to see you!"

If they hadn't had the whole room's full attention before, they certainly did now. Provenza was wearing a murderous expression while Sykes and Tao's faces were pictures of surprise and interest. Their captain had come out of their office for the first time that morning since Taylor had buried her in unnecessary paperwork in an early morning meeting and he had to say she looked even better than usual. The tight black skirt, high heels and the cream Armani blazer he liked so much were certainly wasted on paperwork. To his horror, his appreciation must have shown on his face because Nicole elbowed his side with a sultry grin and Provenza hit his stapler with his fist.

"Nicole!" Sharon replied with the same warmth she had shown his daughter on the other two occasions they had met. "What a surprise!"

Nicole rushed over and wrapped her arms tightly around the other woman. "Wow, Sharon. You do have an impeccable sense of style. I mean, I've only seen you in cocktail dresses so far, but your work outfits look great, too! No wonder dad has fal-"

"Well, well!" Andy said in a booming voice, causing Sykes to raise both eyebrows. The woman was usually quite clueless when it came to more subtle human interactions, so what was going down had to be very very obvious.

Sharon gave Nicole a slightly confused little smile. "Thank you, Nicole."

"We do have to make that shopping trip you promised me!" Nicole beamed.

With all the negativity that had been characterizing their relationship for the past two decades, Andy had completely forgotten how bubbly and enthusiastic his daughter could be. While this side of her filled his heart with joy, it was dangerous in the present context.

"Captain, would it be okay if I took my daughter for coffee?" he asked, trying for a light tone. Before Sharon could answer him, Nicole giggled and mockingly muttered "Captain" under her breath, as if he had just called his girlfriend by her rank. Which was exactly what Nicole must have thought happened, he realized with shock. He needed to get her out of the office before everything went to hell.

He almost yelped in surprise when Sykes stepped into his line of vision, having come over from her desk to stand beside them. She was wearing a friendly smile and was pointing from Nicole to Sharon.

"You know our Captain?" Her voice was sweet but Andy thought he was detecting the steely note that gave the young woman's sharp intelligence and investigative skills away.

_Damn it damn it damn it_.

"Sure! Dad brought her with him to-"

"Um," Sharon interrupted her, her usual grace notably absent. She made a clumsy gesture with her hands, flailing them at the side of her body. Tao made a strangled sound behind Andy that sounded as if he was stifling his laughter. Sharon glared at him, her arms still at an odd angle.

"We have a case going on, Nicole, but I would be more than willing to let Lieutenant Flynn go home early tonight, so he can take you to dinner."

"He he. _Lieutenant Flynn_," Nicole remarked and Andy now realized that she must have inherited his sense of bad timing when it came to stupid comments.

Sharon's eyes narrowed. "Nic, don't make this difficult," she said in her mom voice which didn't make things any better. In fact, Provenza's chair groaned along with the old lieutenant as he leaned back in it and rubbed both of his hands over his face. He looked as if he was watching a car crash.

Nicole's grin slipped off her face and she clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh god, oh god. Sorry, sorry! I didn't realize they didn't-" She rolled her eyes to the side and stopped herself before she could make matters any worse. "Dad!" she said sweetly and he could tell that she was about to burst into a fit of laughter. "I'll see you tonight then?"

Andy nodded numbly, quickly taking his hands out of his pockets to hug her. She then went on to embrace Sharon and whispered something in her ear. Andy was discovering more and more of his own traits in his daughter today, he realized. Such as the inability to whisper quietly.

Sykes' eyebrows danced, probably without her even realizing it as Nicole told Sharon in no uncertain terms to join them at dinner. His daughter waved at everyone in the room and walked out with a spring in her step, leaving the major crimes division stunned and Sharon with a notable blush across her cheeks.

She gave Andy a dark Darth Raydor Glare and pointed towards her office. "Lieutenant Flynn, a word?" she drawled, marching ahead. Andy heard Provenza whispering "idiot" in his direction and Sykes' musical laughter as he closed the door behind him.

He felt as if he was faced with a very attractive firing squad as he took up residence in front of Sharon's desk, his hands folded in front of his body like a guilty school boy. Fortunately, the blinds were closed so no one could witness his humiliation. Sharon wasn't sitting down either. She was leaning against her desk, one foot crossed over the other, her arms folded in front of her chest. She was looking up at him over the rims of her glasses with a strict expression that would have terrified anyone else, but it wasn't like he didn't know this stance. She had greeted him like this back when she had still been in FID a million times, pointing out his failings to him.

"Andy, you still didn't tell her," Sharon said pointedly.

"Look..." he noticed that he was gesturing pointlessly, so he put his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet. "I'm sorry. She was just so enthusiastic about you. Nicole likes you a lot."

Sharon wasn't pacified by the compliment.

"Andy, she can also like me when doesn't think that I am your girlfriend."

Andy sighed, feeling mighty sorry for himself. "I know. I _know_. It's just that over the years she kind of witnessed many of my... conquests and they weren't that much older than she was and so-"

That had certainly been the wrong thing to say, he realized when he carefully lifted his gaze to hers. Sharon Raydor was seething. Before he could try to save himself, she was already growling at him.

"So just because you want your daughter to think that you finally found a sufficiently _old _girlfriend, I have to play along to the point where my whole division is under the impression that we're dating?"

"They aren't-"

"Andy! Even Amy noticed!"

Sharon looked troubled and a little hurt now. He had managed to really upset her, he realized, as being embarrassed in front of her team and being called old were two things he knew to always get to her.

"I know, it was stupid of me not to tell her. I know I promised! I'm sorry, Sharon."

When she adjusted her glasses and was about to walk around her desk and sit down, he knew that she considered their conversation over.

"Sharon-" he began, but she cut him off.

"Maybe it would be better if you'd call me by my rank around here. Just to avoid further confusion," she snapped, not really looking at him. Andy narrowed his eyes. He might have been daft sometimes, but he wasn't stupid. While Sharon was very smart and very in control, she was also just a human being like everyone else.

"Do you want me to call you 'Captain' over dinner, too?" he challenged.

"I'm not going to dinner with you and Nicole!" she replied, now clearly annoyed that he could be that presumptuos.

"I kind of didn't think you would, but I hoped that maybe you'd go to dinner with me."

Her brows shot up and her expression turned into one of pure disbelief. He could tell that she was about to say something really nasty, so he silenced her before she could open her mouth.

"Because, really, Sharon." Now he was the one who sounded annoyed. "I didn't refrain from clearing things up with my daughter because you were old or because she adores you. I just hoped I wouldn't have to inform her because maybe things would change and you might end up being my girlfriend for real."

"I am married," Sharon objected automatically, her voice quiet and small as if she wasn't really convinced of what she was saying.

"Yeah, to an idiot," Andy said, unable not to sound irritated. "Sharon, we've been going out to dinner every other week for months now and I really, really like not dating you. But, seriously." He couldn't stop himself from giving her a massive eye roll. "I would rather prefer dating you."

He wasn't sure where the courage to say it was suddenly coming from, because Sharon Raydor could be a block of ice if she wanted to be and she was usually too intimidating to be told.

"Um," Sharon said, her eyes wide and her hands fidgeting with a pen.

Andy decided to continue talking as long as this sudden blast of courage would last. "You better say yes to a date or I swear I will pursue you for what it's worth complete with flowers and chocolates out there in front of everyone."

A smile was now tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Don't you dare."

"Then I will stare at your legs very very obviously all day instead."

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "And that would be different from what you're currently doing... how?"

He narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the desk, leaning over it to be in her space. "I admit that I am a massive idiot, Sharon," he said in a much lower voice. He pulled back a little. "And I promise I will back off if you don't want to go on a real date with me, but if there's any chance-"

She swiftly cut him off by leaning in and pressing a light, tender kiss to his lips, the action completely at odds with the determined look in her eyes. Her lips were warm and a little wet and for a moment he thought he'd collapse on her desk because his blood pressure was probably through the roof right now. She pulled back before either of them could deepen the kiss, her cheeks crimson but her mouth twitching with a hint of a victorious smile.

"Okay, you can pick me up at eight tomorrow," she said in an unfamiliar, breathy voice that made him wonder whether her heart was thundering like his was. "Under one condition," she added, slightly recovered.

"Yes?" he asked, his body feeling light as a feather.

"You clear things up with Nicole _tonight _and now you get out of here and make sure people out there don't get the wrong idea about us."

He grinned wickedly. "So you want me to tell them that you just kissed me. Is that right?"

"Lieutenant," she warned, now completely back to normal except for the blush in her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes. "Get. Out."

"Okay, okay!" Andy raised his hands in defeat, unable to wipe the huge, goofy smile off his face. His hand on the door knob, he turned around again. "By the way, that is a really hot jacket you're wearing, Captain."

Instead of telling him to stop, she adopted a flirty look and ran her hand down the thick cream fabric with the subtle leather applications at the hems. "Why thank you, Lieutenant. It happens to be my lucky jacket. I keep getting asked out on dates when I wear it."

Andy's soaring spirits crashed and burned the moment he closed the door behind him and was faced with three questioning faces and a completely overjoyed Sykes.

"You two are dating? Oh that is adorable!" she squealed.

"No, no. We're not. Actually my daughter-" he began then was cut off by Provenza who was holding out his handkerchief to him. He shook his head, annoyed. "What the heck, Provenza?"

Provenza was wearing a smug look as he gestured towards his friend. "I just thought you should wipe the pink lipstick off your face before you continue denying the obvious."

This was going to be complicated.

**The End**


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